A visibly emotional Raphael Tuju has opened up about the toll his ongoing Sh2.2 billion legal battle has taken on his family, revealing that his children have faced harassment and humiliation amid the dispute.
Speaking during Sunday Service at St Michael and All Angels ACK Cathedral in Bondo Town, Siaya county, Tuju appealed to fellow Christians to pray for his children, saying they had been affected by the challenges he was facing.
Tuju said he had personally endured difficult times and had been able to cope through his faith, but expressed concern about the impact the situation was having on his children.
“My own children right now are going through a lot of tribulations. I have gone through tribulations, but I can manage it. I'm strong enough to manage it through my faith, but my children need prayers,” he said.
The former Cabinet secretary said he did not want the difficulties he was facing to be visited on his children, but claimed they had nevertheless been drawn into the situation.
“Whatever I'm going through should not be visited on them, but unfortunately it has been visited on them,” Tuju said.
Tuju said he had previously kept the matter private and that his remarks in church marked the first time he was speaking about it publicly.
“I've not gone public with this. This is the first time I'm talking about it in public, but my children have been harassed, humiliated in so many ways,” he said.
He did not provide details about the alleged harassment or humiliation or identify those he believed were responsible.
Tuju said his family had nevertheless remained strong and continued to rely on their faith to navigate the difficulties.
“But we stay strong as a family because of the grace of God,” he said.
Tuju's comments come amid a long-running legal dispute over a Sh2.2 billion loan facility involving his company, Dari Limited.
The dispute dates back to a financing agreement linked to a Karen development project involving high-end residential units and other facilities.
Tuju has maintained that the bank did not fully honour the agreement, including failing to disburse about Sh294 million that he says was part of the financing arrangement.
The dispute has resulted in several court cases in Kenya and abroad.
In March 2026, the High Court struck out Tuju's application seeking to stop the auction of properties linked to Dari Limited, including the Entim Sidai Wellness Sanctuary and other properties in Karen.
The court held that the application sought to reopen matters that had already been adjudicated.
Tuju and Dari Limited were subsequently granted leave to appeal the ruling.
The Supreme Court had earlier dismissed an appeal by Tuju in 2023 relating to the dispute, while subsequent proceedings have continued to focus on the loan, the security attached to it and the proposed recovery of the debt.
